Walking is Great—But Your Joints Need More
This ONE exercise can help
You walk every day. ✔️
You get your steps in. ✔️
You’re staying active. ✔️
So why does your body still feel STIFF? 😥
Walking is fantastic for your health, but when it’s your only form of movement,
your hips, knees, and ankles spend most of their time moving through the same relatively small range of motion.
Over time, movements that require more motion—squatting deeply, kneeling, or getting down on the floor—can start to feel surprisingly difficult.
But here’s the good news: ✨ mobility is trainable!
Your joints are designed to move through a variety of ranges,
and you can intentionally practice the movements your daily walk doesn’t provide.
Yes, keep walking!
But if you want to keep moving well for life, make sure you’re training your joints to do more than take steps.
JUST ONE THING
Mobility isn’t just about how far your joints can move—it’s about being strong and controlled through that range.
Your JUST ONE THING to Supplement Walking
Do Deep Squats Daily
Everyday movements like getting down to the floor, standing back up, gardening, or reaching into a low cabinet require your ankles, knees, and hips to bend deeply.
But flexibility alone isn’t enough.
You also need the strength and control to lower into those positions—and get yourself back out!
That’s what makes the deep squat so valuable.
Practiced regularly, it challenges mobility through your ankles, knees, and hips while building strength and control in deeper ranges of motion.
Start at a depth that feels comfortable, use support if needed, and gradually work lower.
I demonstrate all of it in this video below. 👇
How to Safely Do Deep Squats for Better Mobility
- Start with hands on knees and rock hips back & forth
- Once that is easy, move elbows to your knees to get a little deeper
- Move to fingertips touching the floor in a deep squat while continuing to rock back & forth
Extra Tip: If it hurts your knees right now to bend deeply, just begin by working on a range of motion that does feel comfortable and pain free. With consistency, your comfortable range of motion will significantly improve.
Did You Know...
- Walking is highly repetitive. If you frequently battle plantar fasciitis, IT band pain, or hip irritation, consider shorter walks while turning your attention to building more strength and mobility.
- Walking uses a limited range of motion. Your hips, knees, and ankles need additional movement everyday to maintain their full mobility.
- Your hips affect more than just your hips. Limited hip mobility can contribute to compensations and discomfort in your knees and low back.
Until next week... Be strong💪
